Water in my car... need help asap
 

Hey guys,

We had a massive rainstorm here last week. My car has water coming in it from under the steering column onto the pedals.

I have read there is a drain where the windshield water drains into the back of the engine bay which is clogged.

I took the car to the dealer briefly and the rookie tech couldn't even find where the drain holes are to clear them.

3 problems:

- how can I unclog this?

- I still hear water sloshing in what sounds like the center console behind the dash, how do I get this out?

- how potentially harmful is this? Even the carpets in my back seat are wet.


What a stupid design flaw... I mean come on, water in a car of this standard??? I'm pretty angry about this.

Help!!

Actually, sounds more like it might be heater/HVAC drains...
 

from description of water in center console area.

If you search on that, you should find prior posts on "how to's,"

The engine bay holes are under the cabin filter. It seems to be really hard to access them, but take off all the plastic covers around there and you will probably see a big bathtub! I am not sure where they come out under the car, but I tested mine by pouring water under the filter (near the aluminum cross braces) and say it coming out from under the car.

You should also check the sunroof drains. Open the sunroof and at the front on either side are drain holes.

Remove the plenum cover (two large pieces of plastic covering area between engine and windshield) and look for drains. They are at the lowest points on each side, as far as I remember close to the middle of the car. Clean the area and drains.

Once in the business clean the sunroof drains (four corners) and air conditioning drains (just next to the gas pedal and at the same place on the passenger side).

Very important is to check under the carpets. Remove the seal trims and lift the carpet on both sides. There is a bunch of electronics, starting with your Bluetooth Module. Water will damage it.

Edit: This may help a bit.

Attachment 83893

Drains
 

Also check your sunroof drains as described here: https://forums.audiworld.com/showpost...3&postcount=10

And have a look at this thread: https://forums.audiworld.com/showthre...=sunroof+drain

Thanks everyone.

Are those little tabs (a and b) part of the cabin filter housing?

I'm getting page not found for both. Also, is there a larger version of that image?

Sorry, I've just realized that the links don't work.I don't have a larger photo but basically it shows the location of the drains in the wheel well

It is UNDERNEATH the filter. Almost impossible to see. Clean these out immediately or you could be in for a very large repair bill. Also blow out the AC Evaporator drains, just pull the carpet on both sides of center console. There are really good instructions for doing this just search for Audi Evaporator Drains and Audi Cowl drains. You DO NOT HAVE TO remove glove box to get at evaporator drains. Also get a medium size jar to catch the 2-3 cups of water that may come out of your evaporator the second you disconnect the hose.

Look HERE for evaporator drains (also here)

Look HERE for the Plenum drains and how to clear

The ultimate solution is below:

Hey everyone,

Just closing the loop. I had my mechanic do the drains. It was pretty hard to get at them, so it was just easier this way.

I fail to understand the logic of the design of the drains under the cabin filter... they have a choke point in them... like a single leaf could clog it.

My mechanic said those drains are a problem and just removed them completely. I'd recommend others do it also... when you see the strange design you'll understand.

Anyhow, thanks for all the insight. Even if it was not a DIY, the info was very valuable.

It's for the water to come out and debris not to come in-the problem is the debris
 

is coming from the inside "out". Yeah, I think it's a good idea to cut the "nipples" from these drains.

Cheers,

Louis

FWIW I *think* these drains are actually below the air filter - is that right? I took off the plenum cover, removed the air filter cover & filter...and was able to sneak a long shop-vac extension underneath and suction out most of the debris/leaves/etc that have built up over the last 8+ years.

But I am correct about the location, is that right? Almost way down underneath the actual air filter housing?

Yes.

I had this happening to my MY2000 S8.
A quick fix to emptying the water is using the fan at full power and shutting off all other vents except the ones to the back seats. This blows the water out effectively (have a towel ready as your back seats get soaked). I would recommend using a dehumidifier afterwards for about 48-72 hours. You can run the electrical cord through the ski bag and to an extension cable through the boot. That way the boot lid doesn’t damage the cable.

Holy thread resurrection!

So sucking all the water through the fan, the entire hvac system, and then spraying it all over the backseat, which then needs a dehumidifier running inside the car for 3 days to dry it out is your idea of a quick fix? As opposed to just fixing the fault at source and spending at most 30mins unblocking the drains and draining the cowl every once in a blue moon.

I recommend rethinking your approach.

Water in my car
 

Ouch! Well it worked for me Dave. The quick fix refers to getting the water out of the car... not the cause of the water coming in, geddit? The water was in the channel between the front seats so I reckoned that the fan (usually situated near the bulkhead) would help blow the water out without getting itself wet in the process.
My S8 has since travelled 3 years and 850000km without any electrical problems so I reckon it worked just fine.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.aud...6b58f96a73.png
I'll just leave this here.....